The Best Diet for a Good Night’s Sleep:
✅ Nuts and seeds — Walnuts are high in melatonin and can increase your body’s melatonin levels. Other nuts and seeds which are high in tryptophan (the precursor to melatonin) include pistachios, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds.
✅ Beans and legumes — These are natural sources of melatonin as well as tryptophan.
✅ Fruits — Bananas are rich in tryptophan and cherries are high in melatonin. Cherries are also known to significantly reduce inflammation and oxidative stress which help to improve sleep patterns. Kiwi may improve sleep onset, duration, and quality among adults with sleep problems.
✅ Dark leafy green vegetables — These are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin- carotenoids that are natural blue light filters. They’re also packed with micronutrients such as tryptophan, potassium, magnesium, and calcium which help to promote good sleep.
✅ Magnesium-rich foods — These include whole grains, avocadoes, soybeans, bananas, nuts, and seeds. Magnesium binds to GABA receptors and works as a natural muscle relaxant, promoting good sleep.
✅ Protein — Can help prevent hypoglycemia at night by balancing your blood sugar levels and preventing you from waking up throughout the night.
✅ Tea — Can reduce inflammation and anxiety and act as natural sedatives (e.g. chamomile, peppermint, lavender, lemon balm, valerian, and passionflower).
✅ Plant-based milk — When warmed up, this may be soothing at night-time and promote sleep onset. Soy or almond milk may be especially useful as they are a good source of tryptophan.
✅ Water — Prevents you from becoming dehydrated and promotes restful sleep. Don’t drink too much right before bed as you’ll be getting up during the night to go to the toilet!
✅ Beans and legumes — These are natural sources of melatonin as well as tryptophan.
✅ Fruits — Bananas are rich in tryptophan and cherries are high in melatonin. Cherries are also known to significantly reduce inflammation and oxidative stress which help to improve sleep patterns. Kiwi may improve sleep onset, duration, and quality among adults with sleep problems.
✅ Dark leafy green vegetables — These are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin- carotenoids that are natural blue light filters. They’re also packed with micronutrients such as tryptophan, potassium, magnesium, and calcium which help to promote good sleep.
✅ Magnesium-rich foods — These include whole grains, avocadoes, soybeans, bananas, nuts, and seeds. Magnesium binds to GABA receptors and works as a natural muscle relaxant, promoting good sleep.
✅ Protein — Can help prevent hypoglycemia at night by balancing your blood sugar levels and preventing you from waking up throughout the night.
✅ Tea — Can reduce inflammation and anxiety and act as natural sedatives (e.g. chamomile, peppermint, lavender, lemon balm, valerian, and passionflower).
✅ Plant-based milk — When warmed up, this may be soothing at night-time and promote sleep onset. Soy or almond milk may be especially useful as they are a good source of tryptophan.
✅ Water — Prevents you from becoming dehydrated and promotes restful sleep. Don’t drink too much right before bed as you’ll be getting up during the night to go to the toilet!
What can you do today to get these benefits of sleep?
